Football fans are heading for Russia in their droves for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This is the first time an eastern European country has held the World Cup and all the stadium venues are in the western part of the country. It is widely anticipated to be the most expensive football championship in history, budgeted at almost US$12 billion. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities, and the final will take place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow.

But there’s more to Moscow than football. Russia’s history is rich with tales of political and historical contrasts. Whether you’re looking for something to fill your downtime between matches, or fancy Moscow as a destination, here’s a pocket guide to four must-see places in the centre of the city the world will be watching for the next four weeks.

Red Square

Red Square is a city plaza that is often considered the central square of Moscow, as its major streets, which connect to the major highways, originate from there. It separates The Kremlin, former royal citadel and now the official residence of the President, from an historic merchant quarter.

The Square is surrounded by buildings of historical and national importance: the Kremlin; St Basil’s Cathedral; and Lenin’s Mausoleum included. It was paved with stone in 1804, at the request of merchants who used it as a market area.

The name Red Square refers neither to the colour of the surrounding bricks, nor as a link to the colour associated with communism. It comes instead from the Russian word krasnaya, which means both red and beautiful. It originally referred to a small area of land, and was officially extended to the entire square by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

St Basil’s Cathedral

Red Square is home to St Basil’s Cathedral, or as it was once known The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed. Its colourful onion domes atop a museum and it was built by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. The domes each house a chapel, nine in total, and it’s these that feature in so much tourism literature. They are stunning, especially set against the contrasting bleakness of Red Square’s more modern architecture, and are best photographed early morning or early evening, when there are fewer crowds.

Lenin’s Mausoleum

Also known as Lenin’s Tomb, serves as the final resting place for Russia’s former leader, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924). Founder of the Soviet State, Lenin was a revolutionary, Marxist theorist and one of the organisers of the 1917 Revolution. After this death in 1924, his embalmed body was placed on display and the Mausoleum is open to visitors. The building itself is of great architectural interest, but the body of Lenin is what draws the most attention.

The Mausoleum is open to the public on selected days and entry is free. Expect to be searched by armed police or military guards before entering, and observe all the rules while inside: photography and filming are forbidden, as is talking and smoking; do not keep your hands in your pockets and don’t wear hats.

GUM

GUM (Glávnyj Universáľnyj Magazín) translates literally as main universal store and is the main department store in many cities of the former Soviet Union.

The most famous GUM is that on Red Square, currently a shopping centre. This trapezoidal building is stunning. Its facade extends for nearly 800 feet along the eastern side of the square and is divided into horizontal tires and lined with red granite, marble and limestone. The building features many elements of Russian architecture. Its steel framework was topped with a glass roof, unique at the time of construction. Each skylight has a diameter of 46 feet and weighs 743 tonnes. Each arcade of the store is on three levels, and linked by walkways of reinforced concrete.

By the time of the Russian Revolution of 1917, The building contained some 1,200 stores by the beginning of the 20th century and was nationalised after the Russian Revolution of 1917. GUM was used as a department store until Joseph Stalin converted it into office space in 1928. It was also used briefly to display the body of his wife Nadezhda in 1932 after her suicide.

Write Review